by Faith Rice-Mills
Every semester when I teach beginning Spanish, I am curious about my students’ reasons for taking the class. On the index cards I pass out at the start of the semester, the students tell me their names, age, birthdays and what they hope to take away from the class. While many write “I want to be able to talk to people from other countries,” many responses still indicate the only reason the student is taking the class is because it is required for his or her degree.
My class is not necessarily always a fun class. Yes, I try to hold their interest by piling bizarre clothing on top of my outfit and teaching them that my Turkish belly dancing skirt is “una falda azul {a blue skirt} and my rain boots are “mis botas feas” {my ugly boots}. But an infinite number of workbook pages and hours upon hours of watching the Spanish language soap opera Destinos does not always endear me to my students.
I do not expect my students to love my class or even like it. What is disappointing is the lack of interest in learning a subject that could eventually prove to be valuable. Many of these students have been taught to believe that if an individual immigrates to the United States, he or she should learn English. While I will not agree or disagree with this opinion, I notice that the same people refuse to acknowledge that one day they may be in a situation where English is not the dominant language and they will not be able to communicate.
It is impossible for me to comprehend this aversion for learning another language. Does it originate from fear? Are we afraid that if we are bilingual we will lose our identity as Americans? Many young French, Danish, German, Japanese and Mexicans have been speaking English since a young age and yet continue to identify with their culture. Or maybe it is because, although we do not express it explicitly, we have an inherent belief that the United States is an empire and everyone should eventually have to learn its dominant language.
I have heard many complaints: “I hate that so many instructions come in both Spanish and English,” “I hate it that I have to wait to listen to the Spanish recording when I want to talk to someone at the bank.” I have heard clerks complain when Spanish speakers come to their lines and only know a few words of English. However, these same people vacation as far as Europe or as close as Mexico and complain because no one can give them directions. It baffles me when they say “I mean, come on, how hard is it to learn a few words of English.”
How hard is it to learn a few words of Spanish? How about a few words of Chinese? German? Arabic? There is no method proven accurate in measuring the difficulty of learning a foreign language being that the capacity to learn language varies from individual to individual. I will not lie; it is not exactly easy. I have studied Spanish for ten years and sometimes still say “la día” instead of “el día.” At the same time, I also know that most Spanish speakers appreciate any attempt to communicate with them in their native tongue and don't mind “la día.” I assume speakers of many other languages feel the same way.
I am not suggesting we all sit down for an hour every day and conjugate verbs. I am not suggesting everyone be bilingual. I am simply hoping for a change in perspective. The belief that the United States is a powerhouse and therefore everyone must learn to communicate with us instead of vice versa is ignorant. Since I graduated from college my peers (who mostly did not remember much from their foreign language classes) have gone on to teach in Japan and complete their medical school rotations in hospitals located on the Texas border. As a history teacher, my sister was assigned three ESL classes and most of her students do not communicate in English. Even Brad Paisley sings, “I wish you would study Spanish” to his former self in the song “Letter to Me.”
In our changing world it is necessary that we see other languages as tools rather than use our lack of knowledge about them as an excuse to fuel ignorance and prejudice. Whether the United States remains a major world power or not, it is imperative that we recognize our need for communication, even if we are communicating with very few words. I will help you get started; Hola. ¿Cómo te llamas? [Hi. What is your name}. Now repeat. Next word: Mucho gusto {Nice to meet you}. Now repeat and then repeat it to someone you have just met.
10 comments:
damn Faith you sure can get your point across. i completely agree with you on all points. and for the record, your class was one of my favs in highschool. =)
Faith,
That was a very eloquent article on learning a foreign language. One of my goals in life is to learn Spanish. Can you tell me how to get started at the age of 58? I really just want to learn conversational Spanish because I would like to communicate with the immigrants in the U. S., as well as when I do all that traveling I plan to do in my retirement. I admire you for your open mindedness. You are right on with some of your statements.
No hay duda, vale al pena aprender otro idioma.
I of course agree with everything Faith has said. I grew up in Waco and so I was, I guess you could say, numb to the bubble that we live in here until I went to México. I think that peoples’ prejudice stem from both a fear of losing their own identity and the idea that the United States is a powerhouse therefore everyone should learn English. I myself have been criticized for being bilingual. I had had several people ask me if I am still an American just because I speak another language and enjoy another culture other than my own. My language experience has not caused me to lose my identity but rather helped me to understand it better. No I am not less American because I like "banda" music or because I cheer for México in the World Cup. I have simply learned to appreciate other cultures and it is my way of showing that appreciation and acceptance. Isn't that what we are supposed to do here in the cultural melting pot?
Also I know that many people hate that instructions to bake a cake come in both English and Spanish and that they have to spend two seconds listening to an operator say "Para español, marque 2" because the see it is a "threat" to the English language, that Spanish, or any other language for that matter, is going to replace English in the United States. That is false. A study done by Harvard University in Southern California shows that out of second generation immigrants only 35% speak their native tongue by third generation the percentage drops to 17 and by 4th generation it is down to less than 10%. What does this prove? It proves that the United States is a wasteland for foreign language and that the English language is not being threatened. So why are we still so afraid? Like Faith, I am not asking for everyone to be bilingual and I do not expect everyone to love languages as much as I do. I just wish people for people to be more tolerant and open towards other cultures and languages. Do not let your fear turn into racism and discrimination because no good can come from it. Just be polite next time you see someone struggling with English and think about how you would feel if the situations were reversed.
Professora Rice-Mills,
I agree with what you are saying in all ways, we should all be open to the thought of new ideas, new languages, and new experiences, because that is after all how we learn and how we grow as an individual. As for your class I agree that many of us take your class because it is in our required classes to graduate, although some of us indeed want to learn the language and are interested. However many of us may seem uninterested to you in something that is this valuable simply because this is one class out of 5 or 6 we take every semester, I often find myself putting Spanish low on my list of to-do’s, not because im not interested or don’t want to learn, its because I really don’t have the time with 4 other classes and work.
I think that Spanish and any other language for that matter is very important to learn because the world is full of many different cultures. I traveled to Mexico a few years back for a mission trip, I knew some Spanish, just from my high school classes (which weren’t very helpful I might add) but I wish I had known more and really got to know the people that I was serving more than just saying hello and asking them how they were doing. I think that experience opened my eyes to how important other languages are.
My roommate is a Pre-Med student and is taking Swahili because she eventually wants to live in Africa and do medical missions there. She normally walks around the house speaking part Spanish part English part Swahili, I find in interesting and it gets me interested in learning more then just one language because she has such a passion for that language and for what she wants to do with her life. I do on the other hand see my other roommate is a Business major and is opting out of taking a language and instead taking more communication classes or whatever the Business School offers as an alternative. Don’t you think in the business world with interacting with so many different countries these days that a knowledge in some other language than English is kind of essential?
I am in definite accordance with everything stated in this article. Learning other languages is something that could help all of us in the future, especially because America is rapidly integrating other cultures. I am Hispanic and I find that not knowing how to speak Spanish has become a major setback, not only education-wise, but with my family as well. It is very difficult for me to communicate with my grandfather (who can speak a litte English, but is stubborn and chooses to limit his conversations). He was a POW during WWII and I find his life and stories to be very interesting, however I would like to talk with him one on one about those things and can not because of my inability to communicate in his language. Also, because of the way I look, many people expect me to speak Spanish fluently; therefore when I am out and about I occasionally am asked questions or for directions from Spanish speakers and all I can say is "lo siento pero no entiendo..." This, for me is very humbling and I wish that it was not the case. I always feel horrible that I could not answer their questions and help them out.
I understand that every persons ability to learn a language differs from then next, however it should be stressed that learning to communicate with people of other cultures is very important. We are not making ourselves "less American" by learning other languages, I think we are doing the exact opposite. We are making ourselves even more American because we are demonstrating ideals that set the basis of our foundation as a nation. The United States has become a safe haven for people of other countries and cultures and our diversity exceeds that of any other place in this world. I think that those who criticize the fact that they have to listen and read instructions in other languages etc., are demonstrating pure ignorance and must not be aware of the fact that the cultures of this world are progressing and integrating with each other so rapidly, that if they continue to keep a closed perspective of communication, THEY are the ones who will be left behind.
This is why I am in your class Prof. Rice-Mills! Hasta luego!
I think you might have underestimated the intrigue of Destinos. Other than that, I very much appreciate your passion for the Spanish language and your desire to get other people involved. I think it's very important for people in this country to be familiar with other cultures as opposed to thinking the end of the world stops at the Texas border. Keep on doing what you're doing.
What's interesting about this subject is that I don't know that there will ever be a resolution.
Part of the problem with college students who aren't exactly excited to get into a Spanish (or any foreign language course for that matter) is because they are forced to be there. Students are told that they need to know how to communicate with people from other cultures, yet until that has seeped into a student's being, it's just another class that they are being forced to take. There is a mindset that is missing there.
Students, like myself, who have been fortunate enough to live in places that are more of a mixed culture can see the importance of learning a second language. When I worked in New York City, I found that knowing spanish specifically would have helped me out a lot. Now I knew a few words from high school and I found that I remembered more than I thought I would, but that didn't change the fact that I could have been just that much more successful, had I known the words to speak.
In places like Texas and California, I would imagine that students would see the way that demographics have changed and will continue to change. I would imagine that students would want to be a part of that and not get left behind, especially students in universities who are trying to stay on the edge of what is new and happening in the world. But my imagination isn't reality. Reality is that students, on the whole, don't have that world view enough to see it. They can only see what their "American" eyes are showing them.
To me, it boils down to showing students, in a way that they will understand, how the world is changing. Sure, they can see it, but it's different when someone points it out and explains what that means in relation to them. Teachers and positive influences who will guide students until they come to their own realization of just how important learning that required language is.
As a college student, I have to admit that I wasn’t thrilled when I realized that four semesters of Spanish were a requirement for my major. I took three years of AP Spanish in high school and remember virtually nothing from it. However, I do recognize the importance of knowing the language in today’s society. While English still is the dominant language in America, the number of Spanish speaking people is increasing and I think that it is important to have the ability to communicate with them.
In high school I worked at a restaurant/bakery and one of the guys I worked with spoke primarily Spanish. All of the other employees were young teenagers and none of us could really talk to or understand him. We were all taking Spanish at the time but didn’t feel like we knew it well enough to talk to a native speaker and get everything grammatically correct. Writing and understanding Spanish is a lot easier for me than speaking it and it intimidates me to speak Spanish with people who have a much better mastery of the language. However, I agree with what you said about them appreciating the effort and not minding if it’s not a perfect attempt.
My best friend from high school is studying abroad in Spain right now and she’s realizing how hard it is to be submersed in a culture when you don’t know the language. She has learned Spanish quickly and has said several times how glad she is that she now has the ability to communicate with the people living there. I don’t think that it’s reasonable for people to go to another country and expect them to be able to speak English. Communication is a vital part of our culture and it is becoming increasingly important for us to make the effort instead of expecting other countries to adapt to what we are already accustomed to.
I really can't agree with you more. I've traveled to France, Germany, Spain, Italy, parts of Mexico and other European counties, and there is nothing more satisfying than to be able to carry on a decent conversation with a native. The same goes for when I go to the local taco hut...from what I've learned this year in Spanish I, I can carry on a legit conversation with the workers and fellow customers there. I think the whole idea that 'America is an Empire' jazz (thus their complete ignorance) is the bottom line reason most people don't think they should attempt to learn another language other than English. I tell those people to get outside of thinking Texas is the best state, and that America is the best nation, and realize both of them wouldn't be near what it is if weren't for the millions of immigrants that have come here since the 1700s. I do agree, simple things as getting teleprompter ladies in different languages can be bothersome, but I just got to get over it and deal with it. All it takes is the realization that so many things are important in this world, and why not become more knowledgeable about it, and it just so happens that one of those steps is to learn the language. I took French in high school, and I'm taking Spanish now, and regardless of the dumb worksheets and Busch league Destinos, they are both a big part of me learning the language. Every time I leave the class, I like the feeling that I'm learning the language, because (as you stated) in today's world there aren't many jobs that you won't come to a situation where you need to use Spanish, or any other foreign language for that matter. Professora, thanks for your hard work, as it has made the tedious learning process a whole lot more easier! Hasta luego!!
Profesora Rice-Mills,
Today's society is a prejudice one. I am blessed to be in an environment that promotes individuality and diversity. I personally love Spanish. I love to speak it to people that understand it and people that don't. Having a second language suggests to me scholarship and versatility. I have worked in many places that even my very finite Spanish speaking abilities have helped me to communicate with customers who could not understand English. I used to work at Dominoes Pizza, and I used to practice trying to take an order in Spanish. There were times where I wasn't very fluent, but I enjoyed being the person my co-workers and my bossed called upon when there was a Spanish speaker on the phone.
I most definitely have to credit every bit of Spanish I know and remember to my professors at Baylor University. Although the infinite number of workbook pages and destinos are a drag. I have to say that I look forward to learning more about Spanish and hopefully one day becoming fluent.
I have a few friends that are more fluent than I in Spanish and I enjoy speaking Spanish with them. My major requires me to take four semesters of foreign language which will indeed be a challenge. But to me, the reward of being able to speak and understand Spanish makes it worth it. So my answer to that question "Vale la pena?" is "Si".
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